Give Obama A+ for school reform ideas: Like George W Bush, Obama gets it

[Karmadillo]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/11/06/navarrette.obama.education/

San Diego, California (CNN) -- President Obama deserves an A+ for his agenda for education reform. His decision to nominate Arne Duncan as U.S. education secretary was inspired, and his comments on holding the system accountable are honest, refreshing and insightful.

Obama showed that again this week with a powerful speech at James C. Wright Middle School in Madison, Wisconsin.

He announced that, in the coming weeks, states would be able to compete for their share of more than $4 billion in funding through the administration's Race to the Top initiative. But in order to do that, he said, the states have to demonstrate that they're serious about increasing accountability by doing things like tearing down "firewall laws" that prevent districts from factoring in student performance when evaluating teachers.

That sinister brainchild was brought to you by politically influential teachers' unions who make it their solemn mission to protect their members from the scrutiny and standards that everyday people have to put up in their jobs. Obama's not having any of it.

"If you are committed to real change in the way you educate your children," he told his audience, "if you're willing to hold yourselves more accountable, and if you develop a strong plan to improve the quality of education in your state, then we'll offer you a big grant to help you make that plan a reality."

Like no president in recent memory -- except maybe George W. Bush, who diagnosed that schools are often afflicted with "the soft bigotry of low expectations" -- Obama gets it.

What Obama "gets" is that America's public schools often underperform and help cheat students out of brighter futures for three main reasons:

more...

[niyad]

1. you are joking about georgie, right? the man who asked, "is our children learning?"

the man who couldn't string two coherent sentences together? the man who admitted he didn't read?

[Mari333]

2. can we stop funding faith based schools now?

[msongs]

3. public schools = source of cannon fodder for endless military appeasing wars nt

[sandnsea]

4. Yes, Obama gets that schools can do better

Other than that, there's nothing in this column that remotely reflects what the President said in Wisconsin.

"..They spoke to 250 students and others at Wright Middle School when the President shared an unplanned story about his daughter’s science test score which led to her acknowledgement that she needed to change her study habits so that she would master the subjects, not just retain a minimal amount of material to pass a test.

The President pressed this point again as he explained the criteria for Race to the Top and emphasized that student assessments had to measure knowledge and progress. “So we’re not just interested in can they fill out a bubble,” he said. “What we want to do is to take a look generally — are kids learning and gaining the critical thinking skills that they need to succeed.” Standards and assessments are the first criteria of Race to the Top.

In addition, the President said, “We’ve got to do a better job recruiting and preparing new teachers. We’ve got to do a better job of rewarding outstanding teachers.” The Austin school district was given as an example by Secretary Duncan. When Lanier High School teacher Matthew Ryniker tested his Algebra II classes on quadratic formulas, none of the students passed. After devising a strategy to improve and measure progress, Mr. Ryniker’s students improved their scores by as much as 80 percent, qualifying Ryniker for a $3,000 bonus. In addition, Lanier High School is a high needs school, which qualifies Ryniker for another $1,000 bonus if he continues teaching there..."


http://obama-mamas.com/blog/?p=584

[Catshrink]

5. Please

:puke:

[timeforpeace]

6. Maybe he'd get something done if he didn't get A+'s for just talking instead of doing. Talk about

low expectations.

[Cant trust em]

9. You have to have a plan before you can implement. nt

[Karmadillo]

11. Given what he says, I guess I would prefer he just keep talking.

nt

[Cant trust em]

7. I think that Obama has made some good proposals, but I'm glad that he chose...

not to scapegoat the teachers like this guy does. Quelle asshole.

[tinymontgomery]

8. When do I get to grade

When do I get to grade the parents on their support and ensuring their kids do the work and study. I the parents fail the state gets to take the kid away or what. What is the consequence for lack of support. Or how about the kid that just doesn't care no matter what because he has been brought up in a house hold that doesn't value education. Or how about the parents that take their kid out of school for a week to go to Disney World etc. Yea again it's all the teachers fault and they should be held accountable.

[MidwestTransplant]

10. Bush may have "got it" but he did jack shit about it. Just window dressing. Though maybe he

actually thought he was doing something about it because Uncle Dick said the legislation would help. First hint should have been when Kennedy jumped ship.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. Our schools will not improve until we, as a culture, start to value LEARNING

as opposed to job certification.

We tell our kids, "Study hard so you'll get a good job."

NO! NO! NO!

You know what that leads to?

Valuing grades over knowledge

Cheating to get said grades

Disdain for any subject that doesn't have an immediate vocational relevance

Slacking off in school because "there aren't any jobs anyway"

How about:

"Study hard so that you'll be an informed citizen who can't be fooled by the media manipulators"

"Study hard so that you'll have more information in your brain when you have to make decisions about important matters"

"Study hard, so that you'll understand how complex the world is"

"Study hard so that you'll have more than pop culture and pro sports to turn to during your leisure hours"

"Study hard in a wide variety of areas, so that if your job disappears, you will have other skills to fall back on"

"Study hard in as many subjects as possible when you're young so that you don't leave any talents or aptitudes undiscovered"

What about those admonitions?